For me - hands down - it would have to be The Silver Spoon, which, according to copy press & definitely not surprisingly so, is "Italy's best-selling cookbook for over fifty years", & "The bible of authentic Italian cooking".

It's an absolutely FABULOUS volume, covering everything from the most basic everyday preparations to the more ornate; from everyday ingredients to the more unusual - all with very easy to follow purchase, storage, & prep info, notes, instructions, etc. Absolutely nothing is missing from this wonderful book, & I can't imagine being without it after husband gifted me with it last year. It's already stained & dog-eared, one of the best recommendations a cookbook can get - lol!!!

For me - hands down - it would have to be The Silver Spoon, which, according to copy press & definitely not surprisingly so, is "Italy's best-selling cookbook for over fifty years", & "The bible of authentic Italian cooking".

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Thats supposed to be a very good book. I hope I get a gift certificate for Xmas!

__________________Less is not more. More is more and more is fabulous.

the only cons being that it's a translated tome. some measurements are off, occasional technical translation errors, the baking section is lacking in specifics such as pan size and yield, and some ingredients would be difficult to find.

but the kicker is that any cookbook collection would be incomplete without it.

thanks, breezy. i have 2 things on my wish list.

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The next time someone asks what you did this past weekend, squint really hard and say, "Why, what did you hear?"

I (or my husband, actually - lol!!) was lucky in that when the English translation first hit the shelves last year, CostCo had it for half the retail price ($19.95 vs. $39.95). However, Amazon does currently have it for $26.37, which includes free shipping. Here's the Amazon link, for anyone interested.

And yes, it is, essentially an Italian "Joy of Cooking" - lol. But believe me, the few things one might have to look up online or need to work out are very small in relation to the 2,000 wonderful recipes, their obvious authenticity, ease of putting together, & - the best part - how well they turn out.

I (or my husband, actually - lol!!) was lucky in that when the English translation first hit the shelves last year, CostCo had it for half the retail price ($19.95 vs. $39.95). However, Amazon does currently have it for $26.37, which includes free shipping. Here's the Amazon link, for anyone interested.

And yes, it is, essentially an Italian "Joy of Cooking" - lol. But believe me, the few things one might have to look up online or need to work out are very small in relation to the 2,000 wonderful recipes, their obvious authenticity, ease of putting together, & - the best part - how well they turn out.

I've heard about this book. I believe someone said, in an earlier thread, the Italian language version was the #1 selling cookbook in Italy at one time.

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"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -Carl Sagan

And granted, while this is just personal preference, it beats the Hazan cookbooks by more than a mile. She may be considered "Italian cookbook royalty" by some, but that's by "some" only. Personally I find her more than a bit pretentious.

I do have her son's cookbook, that I do use frequently, but it still doesn't hold even half a candle to The Silver Spoon. The Hazan books are good, but frankly they've obviously been catered to the American-Italian expectation of of Italian cuisine - ala what one gets at upscale Italian restaurants.

But again - that's just my opinion. Cookbooks - like food & recipes - are ALWAYS going to be a matter of personal preference. Just like novels. Just because I love a novel doesn't mean you will; doesn't mean the novel isn't good.